Feelings that shouldn't exist
by StryderMel
Summary: Sequel to "Another problem, apparently" Max noticed some strange feelings she has towards Alec. Will she understand, that he is more to her than a friend?
1. A normal day

**Before you read this story, please read my One-shot "Another problem, apparently"!  
Thanks :3 Now have fun with this little fluffy story~ :D**

* * *

She would say it was a normal day… Though it wasn't. Max drove to work like every morning, just a normal day. She went in and Normal gave her a speech about her being late, just a normal day. She looked at Alec and her heart almost jumped out of her chest, just a… No… Wait, what?

Max noticed how her cheeks began to burn and she turned away, trying to calm her breath. It was just Alec, no one special. The thing that happened last day… That never happened. Alec was just… Alec. A friend, who was annoying and an asshole. Really, an ass.

"Morning, Max."

She jumped and turned to Alec with wide eyes. She tried to smile while answering: "Morning."

He wore a plain white t-shirt and his jacket. "You okay?"

Max nodded. "Sure. I feel good. Why shouldn't I?"

Shrugging, he kept looking at her, noticing that she wouldn't meet his eyes. "You look pale. Are you sick or something?"

"Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?", Max snapped and turned away. "I gotta work. That's why we're here. Working."

She left without a second look at him and made her way to Normal as fast as possible. "Got any packages for me to deliver?"

Normal watched her skeptical. "You? You want to work?"

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up. Hurry."

Normal gave her a package, while Max noticed Alec coming her way. She grabbed the box and ran out of the building, using her cat-like speed. "Max!", she heard Alec shout, but she was on her bike already and drove away.

She felt stupid. Alec was a friend and she acted like he was a mass murderer. But what was she supposed to do? Let her heart beat like crazy and accept the fact, that she was about to fall in love with the biggest idiot alive? Maybe it was already too late anyways. She felt this way before with Logan, though now this feeling was gone. And it wasn't as intense as it is now with Alec…

Max jumped off the bike and went towards the house. She pressed the buzzer and waited a few seconds. Then a woman opened the door and smiled at Max. The transgenic returned the smile and handed her the package. "I need a signature, please", she said and held out the papers.

Mrs. Raynolds – so read the signature – nodded and signed. "Thank you."

"That's my job", she answered and went back to her vehicle. Hopefully Alec was on a job when she came back. She couldn't bear to look at him.

Riding back, she tried to calm her thoughts. Thinking about Alec all the time wouldn't make the weird butterflies in her stomach go away. She was back at the firm and went in, happily noticing that Alec was gone.

"Anything you want to tell me?", came Original Cindy's voice and Max turned towards her.

"What do you mean?", she asked, knowing what her best friend was hinting at.

Cindy folded her arms in front of her chest and raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you and Alec?"

The transgenic shrugged and went to the television corner. She sat down in a chair and sighed heavily.

"Did he do anything to anger you?", Cindy asked, while she came after her friend, sitting down on the armrest.

Max rolled her eyes. "When doesn't he? Can we talk about something else now?", she almost begged, burying her face in her hands.

Original Cindy shrugged and waited a few minutes, then she slapped her best friends' arm.

"Ouch! What the hell was that about?!"

"Don't tell me you have a crush on –"

Before she was able to end the sentence, Max' hand was on her mouth. "No!", she snapped and glared at Cindy. "I. Am. Not!"

Original Cindy rolled her eyes and grabbed the transgenic's arm to shove it away. "Whatever you say. So, you and Logan have… problems?"

Max shrugged again. "Yeah. I don't think I still love him."

"So you fell in love with… You-know-who."

"Leave The Dark Lord out of this."

Original Cindy sighed and got up. "Fine. If you want to talk… Call me."

Max nodded, while she watched her friend leave. Too bad, that in the same moment Alec came in, his eyes locked on Max.

She wanted nothing more than to run away, but Alec already stood in front of her. "Hey. Logan called me."

Perplex she stared at him. "He… He called _you_?"

He nodded and handed her a piece of paper. "He wants us to check this out. Apparently some X7 kids are being held hostage."

Max took the paper and looked at the scribbled address Alec had wrote on it. Then she began to realize, what the other transgenic just said. "Wait… We?"

494 folded his arms in front of his chest. "Yes. Got a problem with that?"

"What? No! I mean, you're annoying, but… We can work together", Max said and looked at him.

He returned the look. "Right… Wanna go grab something to eat?"

Max kept staring at him, then her eyes searched the ground. "I'm not hungry."

Alec sighed and massaged his eyes. "Max, what have I done? When we talked yesterday… Did I say something wrong?"

"I…" She sighed, too and shook her head. "No, it's not about you, it's… I don't feel well, because of the whole Logan thing. It's gonna be alright."

He didn't seem convinced, not at all, but he still dropped the topic. "If you say so… So, what about food?"

Shaking her head, she walked past him. "No appetite. Talk to you later."

She felt his stare on her back and squeezed her eyes shut. _Dammit. So he knows that I'm running from him. And even though he doesn't look like it, he's a pretty smart guy._

As fast as possible, she left the building to drive home. She ignored Normal's bitching and ran to the parking lot.

* * *

Confused, Alec stared after Max, wondering. Something was definitely wrong with her. Within one day she changed her whole behavior towards him. Even though she said it had nothing to do with him, he just _knew_ she was lying to him.

Normal made his way to Alec with an annoyed look on his face. "God, this girl is one annoying brat!"

Alec didn't answer. He kept staring at the doorway, even though it was empty now.

"Do you know what the hell is wrong with her? You two talked, maybe she did say something?", Normal asked, trying to get Alec's full attention.

Finally, the transgenic turned to the smaller man and shrugged. "No. Just the normal stuff. Maybe she doesn't feel good. Not my business anyway." He walked away, annoyed and tired. Alec tried to be kinder to Max, wanted to befriend her… He needed a friend. Even if it would be the person who made his heart jump higher.

He would be lying, if he said, that he didn't felt at least a little joy after hearing, that Max and Logan had problems. But what, if the reason, why she turned away from him was himself? Because Logan had a wrong picture of them both? Because he was jealous? But then again, why would he be? There was nothing between the two X5's. Alec wished for that, yes, but he knew, that this was impossible.

How often did Max push him away already? He still remembers the day he was about to kill her, but couldn't bring himself to do it. The way she looked at him after he took her only chance to ever touch Logan again… From this moment on, he knew they would never be close at all. Before, he didn't care much, but looking at her hurt face and the tears building in her eyes made his heart ache.

Mad at himself, he made his way out of the building, not looking at Normal once.

"Alec, where…", the man tried, but the transgenic paid no attention to his boss and walked home.


	2. Being happy, being sad, being hurt

It was midnight when Max came to a stand in front of Alec's flat. She felt quite uncomfortable, but she couldn't just say 'no' to him. He would notice that she was keeping her distance… But he probably noticed already. The worst thing was though that Alec would have to hold onto her while driving. Which meant much body contact…

The door to the house burst open and Alec came out, grinning, as soon as he saw her.

Her body wanted to blush, but she suppressed it. Instead she just smiled back and got on her motorcycle.

Alec got on behind her and wrapped his hands around her stomach. "Hey. You feel better?", he asked.

Mac tried her best, to not lean back on him and nodded. "Yeah, actually I do."

"Good. Then let's get these X7's out of their cages."

452 rolled her eyes, but started the motor. "Here we go."

* * *

After all the X7's got rescued, Max hugged all of them goodbye and waved when they left. Alec smiled, watching her and nodded at the transgenic's while they ran out into the woods.

Max sat down on her motorbike, still a smile playing on her face. Alec leaned on the bike beside her and looked at her. She returned the look, keeping a smile on her lips.

"What?", Alec asked.

The other transgenic just shrugged and looked away again, her gaze on something the male couldn't see. "I'm just happy we got them out before something worse happened."

494 nodded and looked at the sky. The sun was about to rise. "Still… They are only children… They were tortured, Max."

Max didn't answer. They were silent for several minutes, then she sighed. "Come on, we should go."

Alec nodded and sat down behind her, hugging her again. It made his stomach jump and the feeling made him think of Rachel. Even though it was so different, it still was kind of the same. And Alec knew, that it was love. And he hated himself for that.

The next day was surprisingly easy. When Max and Alec had rescued the X7's, she felt better. It was easier to look at Alec now, so maybe those feelings weren't real after all… She thought about visiting Logan, talking to him about the relationship as she promised Alec, but… It would only hurt. So she decided to go to work and be on time for the first time.

When she arrived, the first thing she looked for was Alec. She didn't even notice that, until she saw him coming her way and a wide grin came to her lips.

He stopped right in front of her and smiled. "Morning, Max."

"Morning, Alec", she answered and kept smiling at him.

Both of them just stared at each other when Original Cindy came over and coughed.

Alec shrugged and went away, giving Max' shoulder one last squeeze.

She watched him go and then turned towards her best friend. "Hey, Cindy."

"Are you two serious?", she asked and her eyes showed pure confusion.

Max took one step back, clearly confused as well. "What are you talking about?"

Cindy rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "I mean this whole staring and smiling thing. It's like everything else in invisible for you when Alec is around you. Since when are you so attached to this… idiot?"

The transgenic searched her brain for answers, but found none. So she improvised. "I'm not attached to him, I just…"

"You're just in love with him", said Original Cindy, stating the obvious.

Annoyed, Max threw her hands in the air. "Oh, come on! I am not! We're friends, okay? Now we're good friends, fine, but it's not like I'm in love with him or something."

"Sure. And tomorrow I'll get a visit from Santa." Cindy rolled her eyes and went away.

Max couldn't just let it end like that, so she shouted: "Good! Call me when he's there! I'd love to talk to him!"

Original Cindy turned around one last time and yelled: "Fine! That I'll do!" Then she walked away again.

"Fine!"

* * *

Alec watched Max and Cindy yell at each other and found it hard to see, if they were only joking or really had a fight. When Original Cindy was out of sight, he wanted to go straight to Max, when Normal came in his way.

"Hey, Champ. Can you deliver this package to –"

"Uh, actually, I…", Alec tried, but Normal had handed it to him already and walked away. The transgenic sighed and looked over to where Max stood, but she was already gone. _Thanks, Normal, you ass._

* * *

Bored, he switched through the TV, having heard nothing of Max the whole day. He chose not to think about it and rather just relax, but that wasn't very easy. And it was even harder, now that nothing was on TV. He looked at the time and sighed, noticing that it was already 2 am. He thought about going to bed, but his dreams would just be unpleasant again. Or pleasant. That depended on how you'd feel about being in love with Max Guevara.

Suddenly his phone rang and he grabbed it. "Yeah?", he asked and waited.

"Hey, Alec", Logan said on the other end.

"Logan!", Alec greeted with fake joy. "What a pleasure. You need something?"

It was silent for a second, than he heard Logan sigh. "Well, yeah. Do you know for a chance where Max is?"

Alec sat up straight, suddenly alarmed. "What do you mean? Isn't she home?"

"Well… No, I was there already but Cindy said she hasn't seen her the whole day."

"I'm going to look for her", Alec said, already on his feet, taking his jacket to throw it over his shoulders. "I'll call you when I find her."

"Thank you, Alec", he heard Logan's voice, then the connection was gone.

Alec made his way out of the flat, down the street, searching everywhere, using his cat-abilities. He yelled her name over and over again, hoping for her to answer. "Maxie!", he shouted, ignoring the people, who stared at him. "Max! Maxie!"

"…lec"

Alec came to an abrupt stop. He looked around, searching for the voice. "Max?"

"A…lec…"

He ran around the corner and saw her there, hidden in the shadows, bruises all over her body. "Oh god, Max", he whispered and crouched down beside her. "What happened?"

She wasn't able to open her eyes very much because she was _that_ beaten up. "Hurts…"

"Yes", he murmured and picked her up, carrying her on his hands. "I know. I'll take you to a hospital. Hang in there, okay?"

She nodded slowly, trying to hide in Alec's save arms.

His heart sank, watching Max so broken and weak. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, telling her that everything was alright and he was there for her. Instead he ran to the hospital as fast as he could, keeping Max save in his arms. Soon she fell unconscious, but Alec didn't stop once. When he came to the hospital, she has been taken into the treatment room immediately. He wanted to go with her but they wouldn't let him. After making a mess, he relaxed and went to the entrance hall, taking his phone out of her pocket and called Logan.

"Alec?", Logan asked, nervous.

"Yeah, it's me. We're at the hospital. She got beaten up real bad and fell unconscious, so I brought her here. They won't let me in, though. You should come around, Logan."

"I'm on my way."


	3. The end is just another start

**Not quite satisfied with this one but I didn't know how to make it better...  
Enjoy!**

**PS.: Thanks for the lovely reviews :3 **

* * *

The first thing Max noticed was, that she was lying on a bed. The second thing was a beeping next to her ear. The third thing was a slight pain running through her body. And the fourth thing were two familiar voices.

"I don't think so", said the first one and Max had to think about whom it belonged to.

"I think it sounds very plausible, actually", answered the other and the transgenic's heart made a slight jump. "They were after her since forever, who else would do something like that?"

"True. But they wouldn't just let her rot in a dark alleyway. They're not stupid."

"I didn't say that. Maybe they intended to come back for her?" The person sighed. "Anyway, I'm going to kill them as soon as I find them. You gotta help me, though, Logan. I don't know if I can track them down without you."

_Logan_, Max thought and a memory came to her mind. She still had to talk to Logan about their… their what exactly?

"Kill them?", asked Logan, something skeptical in his voice. "I mean, I understand that you're mad, so am I, but do you really think Max will tolerate that?"

The other person chuckled slightly. "I don't care if she does. Those people tried to _kill_ or at least hurt her. I will not let _anyone_ go with something like that…" He suddenly stopped and cleared his throat. "I mean, she's my friend, what do you expect?"

_Alec_, Max remembered. It was Alec's voice! She opened her eyes as fast as possible and looked to her left, where Logan sat. Then she shifted her eyes over to her right and looked right into Alec's beautiful green eyes.

"Max!", he said, his face filling with pure joy. "You okay? Does anything hurt? Can you move? Should I get you something? If you need anything, just say it. I'll try to do what I can, you just –"

"Give me a break, moron", Max whispered in a weak voice. "I'm okay. It doesn't hurt at all. You, though, should breathe."

He nodded slightly and looked over to where Logan sat. Max followed his gaze and smiled.

"Hey, Logan", she said softly.

The man with the glasses breathed out heavily. "Oh, thank god, Max. I thought you might not wake up."

_Wait… What?_ Max looked at him, confused. Then she looked at Alec, who wouldn't meet her eyes. "Guys, what is wrong? What do you mean, you thought _I might not wake up_?"

Logan looked down at his hands and sighed. "Listen, Max. Your brain got damaged a little – not much, but still. It's good that you're a transgenic, because you heal faster, so your brain will be alright. But, well, the doctor said, that you might maybe forget things…"

"I…" Max had to process this. "O…okay." Then she remembered, about what she had to talk to Logan. "Alec", she said and he looked her straight into the eyes. "Can I… have a minute with Logan?"

He looked between the two of them for a few seconds, then he shrugged. "Fine by me. I'll be outside the door, if you need me. I mean, not that you would need me and anything, but –" He saw Max' annoyed look and added: "I'll just go." With that he left the room.

Logan looked to her, his eyes showing pure confusion. "What is it?"

She sighed, bracing herself. "We need to talk."

"Uh oh", said Logan. "That doesn't sound too well."

"It's not", reassured Max. "It's actually pretty bad."

"I'm listening."

"It's about… well, about us."

Logan chuckled slightly. "Believe it or not, Max, but that's what I already thought."

She smiled and looked at the white blanked on her legs. "That won't work out." Max waited for him to say something, but he didn't, so she continued. "We both knew it would end up like this eventually, didn't we? I mean, we went through much together and I wouldn't want to forget any of it, because I _was_ in love with you. I loved you, Logan. But now I have to let go."

"Because you don't… love me anymore", Logan murmured, avoiding eye contact.

"Yes", Max answered.

It was silent for a few minutes, than Logan spoke. "It's because of him, isn't it?" Max looked confused, but the man just shook his head. "I've seen it. The way you just looked at him. You fell in love with Alec."

She sighed, touching her forehead. "I did. I mean, I didn't plan to, why the hell would I? He's an annoying ass, but… He's Alec. Even though I hated him in the beginning and I still hate him, I… I feel like that's supposed to be. Alec and me. Like…"

"Like you were made for each other", finished Logan her sentence.

"Exactly", answered Max with a sad smile.

Logan got up, smiling down at his ex-girlfriend. "I understand, Max. Okay? I won't get in your way. But I just want to tell you that he deserves to know."

She shook her head. "Not yet. I need time. We both… need time."

"Alright… See you, Max", Logan said, as he walked out the door.

A few minutes later, Alec came through the door, making Max' heart jump a little again. "Are you and Logan good?"

452 nodded. "It's going to be okay."

Alec was about to sit down beside her, when he came to an abrupt stop and looked at her.

"What?", she asked.

"Am I… allowed to sit?"

Max was a little confused but answered: "Well… yes, of course you are, why the hell not?"

494 sat down, shrugging afterwards. "I don't know. Maybe you'd rather like me to leave. Break up's are something most girls want to go through alone."

She tried hard to suppress a grin, but it didn't work. "Oh, you're a professional in those things, aren't you?"

"Well, I'm not proud of it, but yes, I actually am." He sounded _pretty_ proud of it.

"Maybe those girls you break up with just don't want to see you, because you're a big, fat idiot?", Max suggested and Alec looked at her, fake shock in his eyes.

He put his hand to his heart and shook his head. "Ouch, Max, your words leave the worst scars in my heart, y'know?"

A laugh escaped Max' mouth, but she didn't know why. Soon after though, Alec joined in and they sat like this for a while, just laughing, talking about his many failed _relationship's_, as he liked to call them, and exchanging smiles. When it was time for him to leave, he ruffled her hair and went out of the door, whispering: "I'll be back tomorrow."

Max watched him go, a little smile on her face as she leaned back. She couldn't wait for the next day. Even though she never really liked sleep, she closed her eyes, so tomorrow would come faster. She fell asleep within 10 minutes.


	4. Love is really complicated

Alec went through the entrance, heading right to Max' room, not looking at any other people. He knocked slightly and opened the door, seeing, that she was sound asleep. "So much to _I don't sleep_", he whispered, smiling to himself. He sat down on the chair beside her, resisting the urge to reach out for her to touch his face. Instead he grabbed the remote control and turned the TV on, turning down the volume, so it was barely hearable.

Half an hour later, he heard a quiet grumble and turned to Max, who just opened her eyes a little bit.

"Good morning, Maxie", Alec said, grinning at her.

Sleepily she blinked and sighed, pulling the sheet over her head. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He patted her leg and then pulled his hand away quickly, realizing what he had just done. "Wanted to visit you. But you were fast asleep, so I just came in. I thought you didn't sleep. Apparently you do, though."

She ripped the blanket off again and smacked his head. "Shut up. There was nothing better to do, stuck in a hospital bed."

Alec nodded, turning off the TV and looking at Max. "Do you need anything?", he asked, feeling the need to comfort her.

She shrugged, sitting up, yawning. "Nah. I'm fine. What time is it anyway?"

494 looked at his phone and then back at her. "7 am."

"7 am", she repeated, staring at him unconvinced. "You're not even allowed to be here already! Alec, why?"

He sighed and looked out of the window, not answering her.

"Alec", she said, reaching out for him, gently brushing his arm. "Tell me."

"I don't know", he lied. "I just want you to be alright."

He noticed a small red shadows on her cheeks and cursed himself quietly. If Max fell in love with him… No, this wasn't supposed to happen. This couldn't happen.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, when he noticed her looking at him. He looked up at her, tilting his head to the right. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "Something's different about you…"

Confused Alec raised an eyebrow. "Really? What is?"

Max shrugged and grabbed the remote control. "Not sure." She turned the TV on and watched for a while.

Both of them just kept watching, until Alec heard Max sobbing slightly. He turned to her immediately, seeing some tears exiting her eyes. "Maxie?" He touched her shoulder gently and she looked at him. "What's wrong?" But she just shook her head, so he sat down on the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. "It's okay. Are you in pain?" He felt Max shaking his head and he sighed sadly. Drawing circles on her back he noticed how well she smelled… really… _really_ well… "Is… is it about Logan?"

"Maybe", she whispered, pulling away. Her eyes were red and she wouldn't meet his eyes. "I think you should leave."

Alec shook his head, touching Max' cheek. "Hey… I'll stay. I know it's hard, but if you don't feel this way for Logan anymore…"

She sobbed heavily and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I just…" She whipped her tears away and sighed sadly. "I don't even know."

He noticed, how she kept staring at his hand and it made him feel a little uncomfortable. Because there wasn't actually anything he wanted more right now than to grab her hand. Alec kissed her head and whispered some soothing words.

They sat like this for a while when a nurse came in. "Oh, excuse me", she said after the transgenetic's jumped apart. "Miss Guevara, you are free to leave."

"I'm fine?", she asked, tilting her head.

The nurse nodded and Alec sighed relieved. "I'll bring you home, alright?" After she nodded he added: "I'll just wait outside. You can manage, right?"

Max smiled. "Yes. Thank you, Alec."

He grinned and went out, close followed by the nurse. "It's good, that she has a nice boyfriend like you." With that, she walked away.

"We're not… dating…" Shrugging, he leaned at the wall. Half an hour later Max came out with a bag, which Alec took immediately.

452 glared at him. "I can carry it myself, thank you very much."

She tried to grab it, but Alec scooped it over his head and therefore out of her reach. "No, you cannot. You're still not recovered completely and I can't just let a girl carry heavy stuff."

"I'm way tougher than you, though", she answered and gave up on taking the bag back.

He gave a small chuckle and grinned down at her. They kept walking. "Oh, I know you are. But not right now. I'm the better this time."

She nudged his shoulder and smiled. They went in silence when Max began to talk again. "You said you want to… kill the ones who did that to me?"

Sighing, he nodded. "Yes. I will. Do you remember who hurt you?"

She shook her head hesitantly. "No…" He noticed how she tried to get closer to him.

Out of reflex, he just grabbed Max' shoulder and pressed her against him. "I will let them pay. You're safe now, alright?"

Closing her eyes, she nodded. "I know, Alec."

He brought her home and the first thing she did was fall into Cindy's arms. They hugged each other for almost 5 minutes. Meanwhile he put the bag into her room and asked, if he was needed, but both girls denied.

"Thank you very much", she said and hugged him.

He hugged back fast, not trying to get lost in her body-touch and smell again. "No problem." He left the flat and sighed. This woman would be his death one day…

* * *

Max lay in bed and tried to sleep, but she couldn't. Somehow her thoughts went back to Alec all the time and the thoughts became very… mature. She sat up, being all hot and even horny. Moaning, she stood up and went to the phone.

Original Cindy came out of her room, one eyebrow shot up. "What the hell is wrong, Max?"

"I'm gonna call Alec", she answered, grabbing the phone."

"Woah, woah, woah!", she said and went to the phone before she did. "It is almost 4 am, you can't just call him right now."

Max tried to fight for it, but Cindy kept holding it out of her reach. "I need him here right now, please. He'll understand."

Cindy shook his head. "Why do you need him? Think about it, Max, what will he think when you call him in the middle of the night?"

"I _need_ him, Cindy…"

"Oh god", Original Cindy's eyes grew wide. "You're in heat! No, I won't let you call him."

Angry, Max pushed her best friend a little bit and got to the phone. "I am sorry, but… I gotta call Alec." Dialing the number, she watched Cindy walk back to her room.

"It's your life. Just be quiet, please."

The transgenic nodded and held the phone to her ear. Soon she heard Alec's sleepy voice on the other end. "Hello?"

Max' heartbeat went up immediately, making her feel hotter than ever. "Alec."

"Max? What is it? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I…" She breathed in heavily. "Do you think you can come over?"

It was quiet on the other half, then Alec spoke again. "I'll be there in a few minutes."


	5. Heat

**Little warning!  
****Some parts are... a bit mature. Only a bit!  
Enjoy now!**

* * *

Alec stood in front of Max' door, having a bad feeling in his stomach. She sounded weird at the phone so he chose to come over, but now he wasn't so sure of that anymore. Before he could knock, the door was thrown open and Max stood before it. In underwear. Nothing, but underwear.

"Welcome, Alec", she said, grabbing his collar and pulling him in. She then pushed the door shut and dragged him into her bedroom.

Confused, Alec pushed her hand softly away. "Woah, what are you doing, Max?"

She tilted her head a little and smiled warm. "I'm just trying to have fun", she answered, while taking a strand of her hair and playing with it.

"You…" 494 needed some time to process this, then he understood. "Don't tell me, you're in heat."

Within one second, Max had already pressed her body against his, making him blush and hot everywhere she touched him. "Maybe I am…" She started to play with the collar of his shirt and tried to pull it over his head.

"Max", he warned, breathing in and pushing her away. "Stop that. So, you did call me to have sex with you, is that it?"

She playfully bit her lip, looking up at him with deer-brown eyes. "I called you to be with me… Sex, yes, we can do that, too…"

Annoyed Alec rolled his eyes. "God damn, Max! Control yourself. As if I'm going to do that. I'm no whore. I'm not interested and you have way too much proud to do this to yourself."

Again, she came close to him and pulled him on her bed, pinning him down on it and sitting on his stomach. "Come on. You think I'm pretty, don't you?"

"No", he said, regretting it immediately when he saw the pain in Max' eyes. "I mean… Yes, of course you're pretty, but that doesn't mean, that I'm going to sleep with you."

She laid down on him, kissing his neck and he suppressed a moan. "Alec", she whispered between every kiss.

He grabbed her shoulders and tried to push gently, but she wouldn't move. "Max, I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't stop with that, I might have to." When she didn't stop he pushed her away hard. "Sorry."

"Alec…", she whispered, looking at him with sad eyes.

He sighed and sat up, patting the place beside him. She came immediately to sit and Alec grinned. "Like a cat. Listen, Max. This is not you talking and acting, it is…" He stared at her, as she curled up beside him, grabbing his arm and caressing it. "It is the heat. And no matter how attractive you _may_ be or how bad I'd like to… You know… I won't. Because if I do, you'd kill me afterwards."

She shook her head quickly, looking him straight in the eyes. "No, I won't Alec. I know I won't!"

"Max…" He sighed, already hating himself for what he had to do next. "It doesn't matter. You're in love with me and that's okay, but I can't."

Shock went through her whole body and Alec could see, that she was about to forget the need of sex. "You know it… Why… How…"

He patted her hair, amazed, by how soft it was. "I just do. But I can't sleep with you now and just feel like… a whore. If you're still interested in sleeping with me after the heat stuff, alright. I'd like nothing more than that. But right now…"

"Alright", she said and let go of him, scooting away from him a little. They didn't touch anymore and Alec saw, how hard she tried to suppress the tears dwelling in her eyes from falling down.

Alec reached out for her hand and grabbed it, throbbing his thumb over it. "Do you understand me?"

"I do."

It was silent and Alec did everything to not look at her. He stared out of the window, when he grew tired. "I should go home now, I…"

She squeezed his hand hard and shook her head. "No. Please don't."

If he could only resist her, but… It was _Max_. His Max. Who was in love with him. Something, that was supposed to make him happy, but it only made him sadder. If she'd be just another chick – that would be alright, but… She's his friend. If that didn't work out, what would happen between the two of them? He sighed. "Fine, I'll stay."

They sat side to side, not saying anything, when Alec noticed, that his eyes started to drift shut. Soon he fell asleep.

* * *

Max felt rejected when Alec told her, that he wouldn't sleep with her. She actually was sure, that jhe_he_ would like that. Worse was, though, that he knew what she felt for him. She looked at him and her eyes grew wide when she noticed, that he fell asleep. While staring at his half-open lips, she scooted closer, getting on his lap as carefully as possible, trying not to wake him. _Oh, this can't be good_, her brain told her. Slowly she put her lips on his, kissing him as softly as she was able to while being horny.

Suddenly she was pushed away gently. "No, Max, god!", Alec almost yelled, standing up and walking around the room. "I told you, Max… Come on, you…"

"You expect me to be all restrained, but it seems you don't understand, what's going on with me, do you? I have goddamn cat DNA, I _need_ to have sex!", she said, standing up as well, crossing her arms over her chest.

Shaking his head, Alec threw his arms in the air. "So, what? You want me to just sleep with you, like a one-night-stand?"

"No", she answered, holding her head. "I want you to stay forever, goddammit!" Alec stared at her, suddenly not able to say anything. Max came a little closer, but he didn't move at all. "Alec?", she asked, reaching out for him and putting a hand on his chest. _What did I just say?_

Within a few seconds, Alec bent down and kissed her gently. She kissed him back, throwing her arms around his neck, pulling him to his bed. Both of them fell on it, but didn't break the kiss. When Max wanted to take off her bra, Alec stopped her. "Max… Please don't."

She looked at him and there was something in his eyes that made her stop. "Okay", she answered and hugged him instead. "Okay."

* * *

They lay together like this, cuddling a bit, until he noticed, that Max started yawning and slowly fell asleep. "Why do you sleep so much?", he whispered, mostly to himself and kissed her forehead. "I am sorry about the kiss." While stroking her arm, he kept looking at her peaceful face, wondering, if she would remember the confession she made tonight. A few minutes later, he closed his eyes, taking in her scent and enjoying her body pressed against his, one leg over his. He drifted away soon, dreaming of the woman curled up next to him.


	6. Awkwardness

Max woke up, curled up next to a warm body. She slowly opened her eyes, looking up at a sleeping Alec. She felt her cheeks heating up and tried to pull away, but she was held too tightly by Alec and sighed, instead cuddling further into him.

She heard him moan slightly, then he opened his eyes and locked them with Max's. "Morning", he said, touching his forehead. "You alright? Still want to sleep with me?"

Blushing again, she punched him in the stomach. "Sorry for that."

Alec shrugged it off, though he seemed to be in pain a bit. "Not your fault. It's your DNA." She rolled away from him and he let her, still lying on his back. "Weird feeling to wake up with a woman in the same bed without having slept with her…", he joked, a little smirk on his lips.

Max rolled her eyes, but answered: "Well, you could've had sex if you just said yes."

He looked at her in fake shock. "I couldn't possibly do that, Max."

There was a knock on the door and Original Cindy's voice came from the other side. "I hope you have clothes on, 'cause I'm coming in now."

Max opened the door for her and said: "Don't worry. Nothing happened."

"You sure?", she asked, glaring at Alec. "What if he…"

Now Alec was the one rolling his eyes. "Seriously, you think I could do that? You all have such a bad picture of me!"

Max couldn't suppress a little smile. "It's okay. He pushed me even away when I tried to jump him."

OC seemed surprised, but didn't answer. "We gotta go to work."

Max nodded, opening her closet, picking up some clothes. "Maybe you should go home, change." She turned to Alec. "I mean, you slept in those clothes."

For a minute, he was silent, looking down at him. "You're probably right."

Nodding, she watched as he left the flat and practically ran into the bathroom afterwards. She heard Cindy asking her, if she was fine through the door and answered: "Yeah, I'm fine. Just want to hurry." _What a lie_, she told herself, sitting down on the ground. What happened the day before… He knew about her feelings… And she told him, that she wanted him to stay forever… Why did she do that? She would just blame the heat for that… Though… The heat wasn't over yet. It just happened to her when it became dark… Apparently. And the only thing he could think about then was… Him… She sighed and remembered the way he had kissed her. It was romantic kiss and it was filled with relieve. Why? The words she said… Was he really happy about the fact that she loved him?

Standing up, she breathed in heavily, trying to control all her feelings. Max changed and put on her Manticore façade before she left the bathroom.

* * *

Alec changed his clothes, thinking about last night. He looked into the mirror, his eyes still wide in shock. She loved him. She said so… Kind of… Or was it just the heat? In the hospital she had said he looked different… That had to be caused by the heat. Maybe the feelings she showed so openly were just because of the need to breed? He had never noticed them before… So it was the heat…

Trying not to feel too disappointed, he made his way to Jam Pony's, planning to avoid any contact with Max. When he came through the door, he could smell her already – damn, how did he not notice all those pheromones last night? She seemed to have been noticing him, too, because she turned in his direction, but he just ran around the corner, not ready to face her yet. Too bad he didn't actually pay attention to any other thing, because he crushed right into Sketchy.

"Ouch!", he called, staring up at his friend. "Man, what's your problem, Alec?"

The transgenic put a hand over the human's mouth and shushed him. "Do me a favor, will you?"

Not in the place to contradict, he just nodded with slightly widen eyes.

Alec let go of Sketch and looked him straight in the eye. "Keep Max as far away from me as you can, alright?"

Pity shone in Sketch's eyes. "Oh, dude, what have you done?"

"A mistake", the transgenic just answered, looking around, hoping, that no one else listened to their conversation – especially not Max. She would just take it the wrong way. "Not any of your business, anyway. You'll get paid. Okay? Just… don't let her come my way."

Frowning and then shrugging, he nodded. "Fine. How much money will I get?"

A little smirk appeared on 494's face. "That depends on the work you do. Let's start with… Let's say 200 dollars?"

"Woah, you really don't want to talk to her, do you?", Sketchy asked, but held his hand out. "I don't want to know what you did to her."

Taking his money out, Alec shook his head. "No, you really don't, Sketch." He pressed some bills into the human's hand and patted his shoulder. "Thanks, man. You might be saving my life." Stalking away, Alec made sure Max was not anywhere near him. Just what has he gotten himself into?

* * *

Max made a face when she realized, that Alec tried to avoid her. The only thing she wanted, was to tell him, that her actions were caused by her heat. And that he should stay away from her – yes, he did that already. But that was not what she wanted exactly… She wanted him at least to know, that she didn't love him, what she did of course, but he would never know this. Not ever.

"Hey, Boo", OC said, patting Max's back. "You want to talk about it?"

Max shook her head and turned towards her locker, leaning her head against the cold metal. "Nah… I don't care about him at all. He can do whatever he want."

Leaning next to her, Original Cindy sighed. "If you say so. But I know you, girl. You gotta talk to him sooner or later. Even if he tries to run from you."

_I don't think that it's supposed to hurt_, the transgenic thought, closing her eyes and banging her head against the locker once. _But it does, not having him around. Having him hating me. Him avoiding me._

Sketch came their way and grinned a fake grin. "Max! Original Cindy! Hey, what's up, you two?"

"What is it, Sketch? And don't lie", Max said, turning towards him, one eyebrow raised.

Caught, Sketchy looked around, as if scared for his life. "If I tell you that someone is threatening me, what would you do to get me out of that?"

Resting her hands on her hips, she looked at him in concern. "Where is he?" When her friend didn't answer, she grabbed his collar and pushed him against the lockers. "I am much more dangerous than Alec. Tell me where he is."

* * *

Alec sat around, fixed on the television, when someone slapped his head. "Ouch!" He turned around to stare at Max. "What –"

"Threatening Sketchy to avoid me?", she asked shutting off the TV, glaring at everyone who tried to complain. "Really, Alec? What is your problem?"

Alec sighed, looking around, trying to find a way out of this conversation. "I don't…"

"Oh, shut up", she said, rolling her eyes. "Tell me the truth, goddamn!"

He stood up, still looking around, suddenly pointing to the entrance. "Let's get some privacy, alright?"

They went towards the entrance, stopping directly in front of it. Max turned to him and grabbed his shoulder. "I'm listening."

"Well… After tomorrow… I don't…"

"It was the heat", Max said, not looking at him once. "What I said… Sorry."

He shrugged, not wanting to meet her eyes either. "Thought so. And how I acted… The kiss… I was just drawn to you. _I'm_ sorry."

Sighing, a smile cam across her face. "Good. If I call you tonight, don't come around."

He nodded, looking around, hoping no one would catch their talk. "I don't plan to."

Max shook her head, looking around as well, obviously feeling the awkwardness between them. "I'll go now", she whispered, turning away from him and making her way back into the building.

Alec stared after her, noticing the way she wiped her eyes.


	7. Don't turn away

Cracking open one eye, Alec stared at his ringing mobile. _Damn you and your stupid shark-DNA_, he thought, turning to face the wall. As soon, as the phone stopped and it got silent again, he closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep. One minute later, the mobile started ringing again and Alec growled, threw the covers off the bed, jumped up, grabbed the phone and answered it. "What do you want?", he asked, not wasting time with a "Hello?" or a "Yes?"

"Alec", Max's soft voice was heard.

The make transgenic rolled his eyes, falling back into his pillow. "Maxie, just go to bed, yeah?"

"But, Alec… I need you", she muttered.

He bit his lip, closing his eyes, trying to ignore the sexual tension in his friends' voice. "Max, you're in heat. Just lay back and try to sleep, shark-DNA or not."

It was quiet on her side for a while and he thought, that she had already disconnected the call. That was when he heard a little sob through the phone.

He ran a hand through his hair, keeping his breath calm. "Maxie", he said, trying to not imagine her silky, long, brown hair, her beautiful brown doe-eyes, her soft skin, her lips pressed against his… He shook his head, staring at the ceiling, softly whispering: "Please don't do this to me."

"Come over", she whispered back.

"I can't", he answered, about to disconnect the call. But something stopped him from doing so…

"Alec", she said. "The heat ends tomorrow, I guess. I will just push you away after it, you know that. And you want to sleep with me, don't even deny it."

It was true, but 494 kept his mouth shut. Even though he wanted nothing more, than to hold Max in his arms, he knew that he couldn't. He could not have her in that way. She dumped Logan because he was not good enough for her, so what was Alec next to the smart ordinary? And more importantly: was there a guy who was good enough for Max? Or even close to that? He couldn't imagine so. If there was a living thing on earth to ever deserve the beautiful and brave woman he thought about all night, that human or transgenic had to show up soon. No matter how much he wanted Maxie for himself, he was not the one to hold her. He didn't deserve her. And now, that she was free it was way too hard to stay away from her.

"Come over", she demanded.

"No", he said, his voice not audible for an ordinary. But Max had heard him. "No, I'm sorry. I can't. Really can't." He disconnected the call and threw his phone against the wall, watching it shatter into pieces. Sighing slightly, he put his head into his hands, keeping away the images of Max that tried to flood his brain. It wasn't supposed to hurt him, was it?

Then why did it?

* * *

Max slammed the earpiece back into the phone, glaring at it, as if it was its fault. She tried to call Alec again, but the voice just said that this number wasn't taken. She yelled in rage and kicked the wall in desperation.

OC opened her door quietly and looked at her best friend. "Come here, Boo", she whispered, pulling Max into her arms. "It's gonna be okay. You can talk to your guy tomorrow and everything will be fine."

"Am I so unattractive?", she asked, trying to suppress her little sobs. "Does he hate me so much?"

"He doesn't hate you, Boo", Cindy said again, rubbing her friends' back. "Listen up. Alec is an idiot and we both know that. But he only ever wants what is best for you. Trust him with that and go to sleep, yeah?"

Nodding, Max pulled back, walking into her bedroom and closing the door behind her. She fell right into her bed, trying to stop herself from crying. _Get your shit together, soldier!_, she mentally shouted at herself. _No need for weakness!_

Looking out of the window and into the sky, she thought about Alec. The number wasn't taken? He probably had destroyed his phone to not having to talk to her anymore. Ignoring the pain that went through her heart, she closed her eyes, but didn't dare to fall asleep. She would only dream about him.

* * *

When Alec woke up in the morning, he didn't even dare to open his eyes. Something was different… He would say _wrong_, but it didn't feel wrong, not really… I did feel right. The warm body next to his, the wonderful smell of Max's shampoo, the feeling of her hair on his shoulder. He knew that she was awake, staring at him, which was supposed to make him feel uncomfortable, but to be honest, he enjoyed it.

"Morning", she whispered, obviously heard that his breathing pattern had changed.

He risked to open his eyes to look down at her. It hit him hard. Damn, he knew Max, he knew how she looked, he knew how she looked in the morning, but she was just so… _so freaking beautiful_. "Can you explain?", he asked, after he found his voice.

An apologizing grin came across her face. "'m sorry. It was the heat. But I swear, I didn't touch you in any inappropriate way."

_I wouldn't have minded anyway_, he thought, turning away from her. "It's Sunday, Maxie. The only day where I do… nothing, really."

"The _only_ day? Yeah right", Max said and rolled off the bed. "I wanted to talk to you."

The male transgenic just shrugged, pulling the sheets over his head. "Talk", was the only thing he answered.

He felt, how Max sat down next to him und pulled the sheets away. "You sleep way too long."

"If that is what you want to talk to me about", he said, hiding his eyes from the brightness of the sun… and Max's beauty. "Why didn't you come here when I was awake?"

She took his hands to pull them away from his face. His eyes locked with hers and they stared at each other for several seconds, before Max looked away again. "Anyways. I came in and you were sleeping, so –"

Alec sat up immediately. "You came in _before_ you checked if I was awake? That's just sick, Max."

Annoyed, she rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same."

He shook his head and sighed. "No, I have a sense of, y'know, decency."

"Of course you have", she answered, not bothering to hide the wave of sarcasm in her voice.

"Shut up", he murmured, looking away from her. "So, you want to talk about…?"

She nodded, as if she forgot the reason she was here again. "Right. The heat thing. It's over, I think you can smell – or rather _not_ smell it."

With a tilted head he nodded slightly. "Yah. So?"

"So", she answered, grabbing his left hand. "I wanted to say thank you. For not coming over." She glanced at the broken phone. "And… you know."

He shrugged, pulling his hand from hers, even though he liked the feeling of her warm hand in his. "To be honest, it was the only way. You were like a barnacle." She slapped him slightly on the back of his head. "Well, you were!"

She smiled and got up. "Anyway… That was all. Thanks again." She turned to leave, when Alec threw a pillow after her. Confused she turned around and stared at him blankly. "What the –" Again a pillow flew, hitting his target right in the face. "Oh, you son of a –" She picked up one of the pillows and threw it back at Alec.

He laughed, dodging it and throwing one back at her. In the end they end up laughing, lying on the bed next to each other, panting. "Okay. You win", he mumbled.

Turning to him, she grinned. "Of course I did." They stared at each other again when he grabbed her hand and just held it. "I always win", she whispered, staring at his lips, then gazing back into his eyes.

Alec smiled, caressing her hand with his thumb. "I bet you do." He leaned forward, just a little bit, their lips only a millimeter apart…

"Medium-fella home?", came Joshua's voice from the front door and the two transgenic's jumped into contrary directions.

Growling, Alec got up and was about to go to the front door, when Max caught his wrist. "I'm going out of the window", she whispered, smiling a bit, though she couldn't hide the disappointment in her eyes. "Joshua would only be confused."

He gave her a short nod and went to the door, cursing Josh in his head. _One second_, he thought, closing his eyes in annoyance. _One goddamn second. She had leant in. She wanted this kiss._ And he didn't know if he felt joy or fear thinking about that.


	8. Hate, Love, Attraction

**Short chapter. Sorry. Having a complicated time in life right now.  
I'll try to make it better, I promise!**

**Thanks for reading, reviews give me strength :D (Just sayin'!)**

* * *

Jumping out of the window, Max rubbed her eyes after realizing what he had tried to do. He had wanted to _kiss_ her. And she had leant in! Of course she had, she loved him, she knew that, but… _Alec_ tried to kiss her. And she wanted it to happen. He sure knew that, too. He's always been really good in looking through her. She would have to blame the heat of the moment…

She hated herself for doing that. Having to lie to him, just so they could stay friends. Not to get her wrong – she worshipped their friendship and she wouldn't miss it for the world. Max went home, not really knowing what else to do, but she wondered… What did Joshua want from Alec? At this time?

Alec opened the door to look at Joshua. "Josh. Hey. What's wrong?"

Joshua shook his head and asked: "Can come in?"

Nodding, Alec opened the door more, so Joshua could squeeze through. He went to the couch and sat down, Alec followed him. "What is it, man?"

"Max", Joshua said and Alec's heart sped up. "Something wrong with Little Fella."

Confused, Alec tilted his head. "She was in heat, but… That's normal for cats."

The dog-like man shook his head. "Not what Joshua means. Max sad. Hiding something."

Staring at him, Alec tried to think. Sad? She's sad? And I haven't noticed? When is she sad? I can look through Max as good as Josh can, so why didn't I notice? "Josh, I didn't notice, I don't –"

"Not sad when with Alec. Sad when without Alec."

He was definitely blushing right now. What was he trying to tell him? That Max was in love with him? They had this talk already… Or not?

"Max was here", Joshua said suddenly, sniffing the air. "Alec and Max talked?"

Alec rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… We… talked."

"Friends?"

Alec nodded, looking towards the bedroom. "I guess…" But what if they actually were in love with each other? Would they be able to… be together? Alec couldn't think of anything he wanted more, than to be with Max the whole time, hold her hand, hugging her, cuddling with her, kissing her…

Again, the Big Fella nodded and stood up, making his way to the door. "Tell Max hello."

"Yeah", Alec mumbled, closing the door after his friend. He went back into the bedroom and fell on his bed. "Dammit!", he yelled into his pillow.

* * *

Max came home and ran right into her bedroom, locking herself in, sliding down the door. She hugged her knees and sighed heavily, suppressing sobs, as her eyes drifted shut. _Why Alec? Why him? After Logan, how could I come to a guy like Alec?_

She opened her eyes again and stared at the ceiling. He was such an ass most of the time. There was always something that made her angry when she was around him. Like he was born to annoy her. He would always give her that sarcastic look, his words filled this his smart-aleck attitude and his gestures making him look like he was the best of the best. God, she hated it. She hated the way it made her feel, the way it made her mad, like she wanted to punch a wall – or better, his face. The way he danced around it, like it was no big deal, like he didn't knew what he was doing to her. And mostly the way it made her feel alive.

When she was around Alec she felt alive. She never let that thought crush her mind before. Being with Logan made her lazy, like he would always be there, be safe, because he was Logan. But Alec… He always got into trouble, made himself an easy target, get himself shot several times with her worrying about him. Not like she'd ever show him her worry – god, no. He would only make fun of her, because that was his thing. Make fun of her with that stupid smirk on his face.

God, she hated him. Hated him so much, it was almost enough to make her forget the love she felt for him. _Almost_.

Logan once assumed, that Alec was like a brother to her, but she had pushed that thought away as fast as possible. The stupid transgenic was _everything_ to her but a _brother_. Ben has been her brother, yes, but beside the same face and body they were as different as imaginable. Like night and day even. Though Max couldn't really place who was what. Sometimes Max still saw Ben in Alec and asked herself how she could get attracted to him. He looked like her _brother_. It was almost disgusting. No, it _was_ disgusting.

But then again… They weren't the same. Just looking into their eyes and you could see how different they were. Even though they shared the same eye-color and shape, they were just so… so not alike.

Remembering Ben made Max wince in pain. She looked at her hands and imagined his blood on them. She killed her own brother. She remembered the day she told Alec about him and he just held her while she cried. For almost an hour they were like this until Max had shoved him away, a fake smile playing on her lips, telling him that she was fine.

Of course he hadn't believed her, but he chose to drop it, which was everything Max could've asked for.

She looked out of the window. _Sunday_, she sighed mentally and closed her eyes once again. What was she supposed to do? Just let go and give herself over to Alec, let him play with her and then let him throw her away? _Yeah right, that sounds totally like you_, she snapped at herself and grimaced. _Then what? Just forget about him? Try to move on? I can't do that!_

No, that was not what she was going to do. Hell, she knew what she had to do, but she was scared. She stood up and went to her wardrobe. Throwing it open, she tossed a few clothes out, clothes that were pretty, but not too girly and not too sexy. Average.

She knew how to make guys fall for her, hell, she did that far more often than she wished. And she knew, that despite Alec's statement from before, he would do something on Sunday. The thing he always did, Sunday afternoon.

Take a drink at Crash's.

And guess who's gonna seduce him.


	9. Keep your distance

**Sorry for the delay! >-I'm much into my other Dark Angel fanfic "What A Disaster" and life's been a bitch lately. Sorry.  
But I keep writing! Thank you all for reading, favoring, following and mostly reviewing **

* * *

Max made her way through the Crash, looking for Alec, already knowing where to find him. She went to the billiard area, her gaze fixed on him all the time.

He glanced at her, gulping and looking away as fast as possible. "Max", he said while drowning three balls at once. "What're you doing here?"

"Just taking a day off", she said, moving closer to him. He suppressed a smile. "I see."

Again, Max moved a little closer, brushing his arm and he scooted away, going to the other side of the table. She glared a little and went after him, just watching, keeping her distance, waiting for him to finish.

Soon he drowned the last ball and grinned at his opponent. The guy sighed and pressed some dollars into Alec's hand. He mumbled: "Good game", and went away.

He stuffed the money into his pockets and took a deep breath. Then he turned towards Max and smiled his carefree smile. "What's the matter, Maxie?"

Once again, she came closer and smiled charmingly. "Nothing, just… Hey."

He rolled his eyes. "Max, come on, talk."

When he made his way to the bar she followed and sat down beside him. "How are you doing?", she asked while he ordered a whiskey.

He shook his head and shrugged. "Alright, I guess. What about you?"

"Good. Great, actually", she whispered, coming closer once more.

Alec sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Max. If there's something you want from me, spit it out."

She smiled and leant forward, whispering into his ear. "There is something I want." She felt him stiffening and watched goosebumps forming on his neck. She grinned and whispered once more: "You."

Alec drew back almost immediately, staring into her eyes, searching for the lie. He sniffed the air and he seemed convinced, he leant forward, pressing his lips to hers.

She wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her close, arms around her waist. They separated after a few and just stared at each other. "Come on", Max said, gripping his hand. She pulled him up and led him towards the entrance.

"Maxie", he said, stopping when they were outside. "You really alright?"

She sighed, turning to him, gripping both his hands, looking into his eyes. "Listen. Just listen closely, Alec. I'm just going to say that once. I'm not one to say things like that, but you are what makes me feel… alive", she said, noticing how his eyes searched her face, her heart.

He dropped his head, staring at the ground. "You can't." She gave him a confused look. "I am not good for you."

"What?", she asked, taking a step back, releasing his hands. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Alec shrugged. "I've killed plenty of times, Max. You are… a saint compared to me!"

"Why do you say this?"

"Because it's the truth and I want to keep you from making a big mistake."

"A _mistake_? Alec, I don't care what you did or not. You are you. I don't care who you were. I judge from what I see and what I see is… Alec. And for your information – I've killed, too."

"You", he said, smirking slightly. "You did what you had to do. And you made up to it with saving hundreds of others!"

Max let out a small laugh, rolling her eyes. "No, I didn't. Hell, I could never make up to it!"

"At least you didn't kill…" He stopped talking immediately, looking at the ground once again."

"Rachel?", she asked, ignoring the little pain throbbing through her heart. "It wasn't your fault Rachel died! Manticore did that. They used you! I, on the other hand, _killed_. _Really_ killed! Ben's blood is on my hands!" Her eyes became watery.

"Max", Alec said. "I killed because I didn't give a damn –"

"And whose fault is that?! Manticore!"

He glared at her and kept talking. "I didn't give a damn about anything. I cared for Rachel. God, I did and I wanted to save her, but I couldn't, because – let's be honest. I suck."

"You don't suck", Max answered.

"I suck pretty badly." A little chuckle. "You killed Ben out of mercy. He asked you to. And even if you both could have lived… He was not fixable."

Max hated Alec right now. She hated him for the truth he was telling her. She never saw it that way. But Alec thinking he was _nothing_? No, that wasn't right. "Alec."

He just looked at her. "What?"

"You are Alec." She came closer again. "Not x5-494. Not anymore."

Closing his eyes, he let her lay a hand on his cheek. "It was my fault that you and Logan can't touch."

She rubbed her thumb over his cheek. "I actually have to thank you for that. Without that virus, I don't think I would have ever seen how we're not made for each other. I mean, come on, that could've never worked. He never understood that I am responsible for all the genetics."

He sighed. "I tried to kill you and Joshua."

"You did it to save yourself. And in the end, you didn't harm me."

"If Josh had a barcode, he would be dead."

"You've changed since that day."

"I did. But say, Max." Alec opened his eyes and looked right at her. "What am _I_ next to Logan?"

The female transgenic was startled by that. "I don't understand…"

"Logan was not enough for you – I understand that. Hell, I always knew that he didn't deserve you, who would ever deserve _you_? I am nothing next to Logan, though."

Max lunged out with her right hand and slapped him right across the face. "Say that again and it won't just be your face that'll get hurt."

He just looked at her, his eyes big. Then he nodded and turned away. "I can't do that. I care about you. I do. But…"

With that he went away and Max didn't stop him. She just looked after him, swallowing the lump in her throat, trying hard to banish the tears from her eyes.

* * *

**The next chapter will be most likely the last! It won't be a fairy tail happy ever after, but hey. It won't hurt either. Anyway! It'll take time, but I try my best! See ya!**


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